part 3 (redrafted)

Mary's heart was going "Boom, boom, boom" shaking her ribs. It was the only sound she could hear. Then Jake was there, shouting, "Can I have icecream now? I ate my sandwich, can I, Mum?"

No one could not understand Jake. For him the world was as it should be, and Mary felt she would be safer with him, so she pulled away from the hands on her shoulders. But though one side got free, her other shoulder was suddenly gripped harder, making Mary lose her balance and  crash into Dale.  "Whoa!" he said, helping her stand up, “Are you feeling alright Mary? What did I say about needing something to eat, young lady?"

Mary didn’t answer, she was watching the two women talking; then the grey one left, and the long haired one turned to Mary. “Would you like an icecream, Mary?" Jake started jumping up and down, "I want chocolate! Say chocolate, Mary! Choco -" Jake stopped as Karen grabbed his hand and said, "Excuse me!" before dragging him away. Mary felt bad for Jake. He should have an icecream, that was the rule, but now the rules in his world were being broken, just like in her world. Rules were like railings, keeping you in a place you knew, maybe without them Jake would fall into a place without a Mum and Dad, too.  

"I haven't had my sandwich," said Mary, trying to hide behind Dale. But the woman came closer, saying, "They have lots of flavours! What would you like? Chocolate? Raspberry Ripple? Toffee?" Dale squeezed Mary's arm. "Never mind the sandwich this once! Meet you back here when we reach the harbour, Ok? Go on, have a good talk!" He gave Mary a little push and left, too. She watched till he went round the corner while the woman bought an icecream.

The woman led Mary to an empty table, and pointed to one side, then sat at the other, spreading out with her bag and coat to fill all three seats. She smiled at Mary. "You know my name is Barbara, don't you? And I am your friend? You can tell me anything you like." She opened her notebook, and held her biro, ready, watching Mary. She didn't seem so frightening.

"I just really want to go home!"

The woman sighed, like she wanted Mary to hurry up. "Of course, that's what we all want... Why don't you eat your icecream?"

Mary dipped a little spoon into the smooth chocolate slope. The coldness was a shock, but then came the special chocolate taste. Sometimes, for tea, Mum used to make her little pancakes in the frying pan and spread chocolate on them so it went all gooey and warm. Karen didn't like chocolate, so this was the first time in ages Mary had had any.
The woman, (Babosa, was that her name?) seemed happier, watching Mary eat the icecream. "And you might be going home very soon. I can help with that."

"Really?" Mary's heart leaped -  she could hug Dad and Mum! "Please, can I go home now?"

"We'll see. That's a nice new coat you've got on. Much smarter than that old one you had before. Karen told me you and she have been shopping, did you enjoy that?" The woman looked hungry, like she would snatch any word Mary said, and gobble it up.

"Yes! There were big shops with lots of clothes to choose. And one had a moving stair!" Babosa asked about shopping with  Mum. Mary said, "We go to little shops where old ladies work, and toys and shoes and clothes for me and Mum and Dad are all in the same place. We never know what we will buy. Mum says we are looking for treasure! And there are sparkly necklaces by the till. When I have enough money I am going to buy one for my Mum!" It was good remembering being with Mum. Mary smiled.

The woman wrote what Mary had said, pressing hard with her biro, as if it was very important, then asked Mary, "So, you are enjoying having new clothes like other girls at school?”

Mary thought about this. "Yes!” Babosa nodded, wrote something and shut her notebook, tucking into her bag with her pen. Then she pulled out a bottle of Irn bru. Mary had never seen her without a bottle of Coke or Irn Bru. Babosa had a long drink while Mary told her, “The clothes Mum buys are sometimes too big, but they are comfier and warmer and all pretty colours! They are all lost now, so Karen said we had to buy some more.”

“That’s very kind of Karen, isn’t it? Did you say thank you?”

Mary nodded. Though she didn’t know how all her things had got lost in Jake’s house, because it was much tidier than at home. First her bright woolly hat that she'd got for Christmas. Then her coat, then all her other clothes, even her duvet cover and the photo album Dad had made and given Karen, with pictures of Mary with Mum and Dad, which Mary had looked at in her bunk bed in Jake's room, and kept under the mattress as there was no private place for her. Jake promised he had not taken it, and when he saw how upset Mary was, helped look, but they couldn’t find it.

She hadn't wanted any of her toys from home to come to Jake's house. Mary found every day frightening now - it was good she could look after her toys, keep them safe. She worried if they weren’t at home, got lost in Jake’s house, she might get lost, not go home, too. She wanted them at home, ready for Dad to play with her again. Remembering Dad doing funny voices, pretending her toys were talking, made Mary happy.

Babosa smiled, too. “Well done Mary, that was very helpful! Why don’t you go to the toilet and wash your face? I’ll wait for you here.”

It took a few breaths for Mary to stop thinking about Dad, and understand what she had heard, then she slid off her seat and looked around. This must be a test! She didn’t like doing things without Mum or Dad. They didn’t go to places like this.  How would she find the toilet? Babosa was watching her. When she could tell Mary didn’t know where to go, the woman grunted, her red mouth making an ugly shape, then pointed to a sign of someone green in a skirt. “In there!” then she got out her phone and began texting.  

Mary’s happiness went away.  The icecream come back up in her throat, tasting yukky now. She swallowed, and something tickled under her chin - the big white feather! Remembering how the seagull had not been scared of Dale, made Mary know that she could do this! Mary went round some people standing talking. One smiled kindly and when she saw Mary going up to the toilet door came over and held it open, asking “Are you alright going in by yourself? Where’s your Mum?”

Mary said, “I can do it!” and went past into the small bright room. The door swung shut behind her. The toilet was like at school, only without any windows. There was a big mirror behind the sink. Mary tried to make the tap work, but she couldn’t. She started to shake. What if Babosa was cross? Mary used the loo, hoping the kind person would come in and she could watch how to do the taps. But no one came. So Mary pulled a paper towel out of the box on the wall and licked it to make it wet, then rubbed her face, wishing Jake was here to help, like in the car. Then she found she couldn’t open the door.

Mary was worried – how long had she had been in the toilet? What if she couldn’t find Dale before he got off the ferry? What if they drove off in the car without her? She had to find them! She stood infront of the door out, begging for it to move. After ages it burst open and suddenly there were three grown up girls, laughing. Seeing Mary, one said “Aw! You OK?” but Mary was in too much of a hurry to say anything, slipping into the gap in the door as it swung shut on her like a heavy sideways lid. She squeezed out. Babosa was still sitting at the table, on her phone, not looking for her, so Mary set off to find Dale and Karen and Jake, walking past rows of seats next to windows full of blue.

Then she saw them, but the grey woman was next to Karen. Mary didn’t want to talk to her, so came up so quietly even Jake didn’t see her, as she stood just near enough to hear what Karen was saying. “She keeps asking why she can’t go home? I feel she would find it easier to accept if she had a reason?” Mary tried to hear what the grey woman said, but it was too quiet. Then Dale said, “Won’t that make her more worried if she thinks her Mum’s ill?” Karen said “Yes, what do we say is wrong with her mother?”

What were they saying? What was wrong with Mum? Mary knew Dad was ill, he had stopped being able to walk because he kept falling over. She was always worried about him. But Mum could walk! Mum did everything. When had she got ill?

Jake tugged at Dale’s arm, asking, “What’s ‘mental’, Dad?” Dale looked as if he’d forgotten Jake was there, and shushed him. The grey woman said something, but Dale shook his head. Jake said “Is Mary’s Mum dying?” Dale said loudly, “No! No she is not! Don’t say that to Mary!”

Mary turned and ran. Between tables, then rows of seats, to a big  door with sky in the glass at the top. It was metal, too heavy to push open. She looked back - Babosa was only ten steps away, when a man coming in from outside pulled the door open, and Mary darted round him, into the bright fresh air and sea-salty breeze and sound of the
ferry's engines.

She looked round, then a voice called "Stairs, Mary!" To the right was an arrow sign pointing up. Mary ran over and pulled herself up the steps as fast as she could. At the top the first thing she saw was the seagull, perched on the front red metal bench. "Hullo, Mary! What's the trub?"